In an effort to ensure that the countries National interest is not undermined by the financial interests of multinational coeperations, a coalition of civil society organizations have called on the Executive and the Legislative arms of government to halt the divestment of oil assets initiated by oil companies operating in the Niger Delta region.
Making the demands today at the National Assembly House of Representatives Media Centre, the Executive Director Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Reverend Nnimmo Bassey, expressed grave concerns over the fate of millions of Nigerians’ impacted negatively by the exploration of crude oil across the oil producing communities as well as the environment.
In their resolutions, the Executive Director Tubali Women Initiative, Hawa Mustapha, lamented the environmental consequences of decades of oil exploration in the Niger Delta region by Shell and other IOCs leaving behind a legacy of pollution, oil spills, gas flaring, and environmental degradation that has poisoned the land, air, and water across the region.
While making reference to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on Ogoniland, Hawa said “it is estimated that it would take over $1 billion in remediation costs during an initial five years in Ogoniland alone, with the cleanup expected to take decades.”
“The BSOEC estimates that it would cost a minimum of $12 billion in 12 years to address the cost of remediation in Bayelsa alone.”
“We note that Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the United States, BP, the company responsible, paid over $60 billion to address the impacts of one oil spill incident alone. The environmental damage of the Niger Delta is much worse and has spanned decades.”
“Based on the UNEP and BSOEC reports, it would take about $100 billion to address the environmental damage in the entire Niger Delta comprehensively.”
According to Hawa, to allow Shell, TotalEnergies, or any other company to walk away from their responsibilities would mean transferring these liabilities to the Nigerian state, the Niger Delta states, and the Nigerian people. This is an unjust and unsustainable burden that would further exacerbate the challenges faced by communities already suffering from the effects of pollution and environmental neglect.
Programs Director, Social Action Nigeria, Mr. Isaac Botti called on the government to ensure inclusive and transparent consultation with state governments and the people of the sites of oil and gas extraction in the Niger Delta including holding Shell, TotalEnergies, and all other IOCs accountable for their past and ongoing environmental damage.
